Sexual health is a growing area of concern for many consumers and the market is moving to meet their needs. However, actually setting up one of these brands and getting it right is notoriously challenging, and it doesn’t always work.
In this post, we look at some of the reasons sexual health brands fail and, potentially, what you can do to avoid these failures as a business leader in this space.
Why Sexual Health Brands Fail
Here are some of the common reasons we come across for why sexual health brands fail.
Taboo
One of the main reasons these brands fail is the taboo associated with them. While acceptance is growing, there is still some shame around the issue.
For example, a lot of brands are still struggling to become mainstream because of societal discomfort. In general, people aren’t open about sexual health, which can make getting into a new market harder than for other products.
Furthermore, there are plenty of websites and platforms that restrict sexual health messaging. Google and Facebook are two good examples.
Poor Visibility
Relating to this, many brands in this space have poor market visibility. Many times, their efforts overlap with clinical or medical branding, which doesn’t always appeal to consumers.
Other branding mistakes include things like overemphasising novelty or simply misunderstanding sexual habits. While the industry itself is liberal, the majority of people are actually quite conservative when it comes to their health.
The impact of this is often obvious. Companies misalign and misunderstand their branding. They focus too much on selling and not enough on the educational aspect of their products and services.
Regulatory Hurdles
Another issue is the regulatory hurdles that apply in many of the largest markets. Any brand that wants to make a health claim has to go through a rigorous process to ensure compliance. Failing to do so can lead to all sorts of nasty effects and consequences, including bans, fines, and an erosion of public trust in your name.
Lack Of Consumer Education
The lack of consumer education can also be a reason why many sexual health brands wind up struggling. Ultimately, a lot of people simply lack the knowledge that would allow them to benefit more from sexual health products.
The main issue is understanding the value proposition. A lot of customers won’t get this, which is why brands have to be so careful when communicating. Small, subtle changes can make all the difference.
High Competition
Market saturation is another common problem that’s endemic in the sexual health business world. So many companies have devices and medications that it can be hard to see where the niches lie.
Saturation and competition issues often mean that many companies fail to carve out their niches properly. Some manage it, but these tend to be the exception, and not the rule.
How To Avoid These Pitfalls
The question for your business is what you can do to avoid these pitfalls. Side-stepping them can help your brand become the business you know it can be.
Reduce Stigma With Normalisation
The first step is to look at reducing stigma with normalisation. If you can make sexual health discussions a regular part of life for consumers, they will be more willing to accept your products.
The trick here is to approach the topic in a non-judgmental way. You want people to feel comfortable coming to you with their problems and asking you to find the solution,
One way to do this might be to partner with an influencer. These people can normalise the discussion online, opening the doorway to more business.
Make Your Brand Identity Stronger
You also want to find ways to make your brand identity stronger. One of the best ways to do this is to work with professionals in the industry, like LTC Healthcare, who can provide guidance on everything.
Once you have a real marketing and development team behind you, it’s show time. You can crank out new concepts and ensure that your outreach reflects the type of branding you need.
If you can test messaging with specific groups, like Gen Z, that’s even better. They can provide you with immediate feedback, letting you know if you’re on the right track.
Be Proactive With Regulations
Regulatory challenges can slow you down, so it is worth being proactive with them as an integral part of your business model. Don’t just react to complaints from the authorities, as these can cause serious delays or prevent you from even reaching the end goal. Instead, think about what you can do to make your life easier and ensure that the process goes smoothly.
One option is to involve third-party companies from the start. They often have vast experience in compliance and can provide advanced warning if you’re doing something wrong. They can also take over some aspects of the work for you, like securing your computer network.
Get Around Advertising Restrictions
Getting around advertising restrictions is another thing you’ll want to do. You may need to adopt certain guerilla tactics to be successful, but it is critical you get your brand information out there.
If you can leverage social media platforms that’s great. You also want to build partnerships with companies to bypass all the restrictions that might get in the way if you chose a major platform.
Focus On Consumer Education
Focusing on consumer education is also helpful, and something that can win you favour from Google and Meta. They want you to provide safe experiences for their users, but they also recognize that there’s a demand for sexual health.
The best way to go about this is to create factual videos and blogs. If you can simply state what’s happening, tech giants are much more likely to view your content as acceptable.
For example, you could provide non-sexual details about your products and what makes them perform well. You could also talk about the health aspects of what you do and the number of people using them. These little additions make all the difference.
